IN THE HOTEL ROOM

NARRATOR:
Harry is going through the worst time of his life. His girlfriend Julia has left him. Helen has been murdered. And her murderer has been trying to get at Harry.

NEW WEATHER FORECASTER:
Guten Morgen, meine Damen und Herren, ich begrüße Sie …

HARRY:
Oh penguin, you are a loyal soul. Whenever things are getting tough, you're there. Oh! Sprichst du Deutsch? But really and truly, my little friend. Was machst du hier?

NARRATOR:
Sounded like 'keine Ahnung'. But Harry, the way you knocked Dr. Anderson out of action, that was good enough for Hollywood! Lucky it was only a bottle of Riesling.

HARRY:
Man, why am I such a good natured guy! I should have done him in once and for all!

NARRATOR:
Oh!

HARRY:
Mist!

NARRATOR:
Harry!

HARRY:
He knows where I live, do you understand? I've got to barricade the door!

NARRATOR:
Harry, beruhige dich! Anderson has got to get to Niederangelbach first. Vergiss das nicht.

HARRY:
Du hast recht! Okay - time to make a move. I've got to get out of the hotel in time. Bye-bye penguin, see you soon.

IN THE STREET

NARRATOR:
Und was willst du jetzt machen?

HARRY:
Ich weiß es nicht. Keine Ahnung!

NARRATOR:
If the experiment really does alter time, then you've got to stop it. You need more
information. Du brauchst mehr Informationen!

HARRY:
Gute Idee! Have you got any more brainwaves like that?

NARRATOR:
Well, you're the computer expert. Haven't you ever heard of the Internet?

HARRY:
I've thought of that already.

NARRATOR:
Well fine. Da drüben ist ein Internetcafé.

HARRY:
Vielen Dank!

IN THE INTERNET CAFE

HARRY:
Guten Tag!

OWNER:
Hallo! Möchten Sie ins Internet?

HARRY:
Ja, wie funktioniert das?

OWNER:
Oh, ganz leicht. Sie suchen sich einen freien Computer aus und surfen, solange Sie
möchten.

HARRY:
So, I find myself a free computer and surf as long as I want - that's just like in Traponia! Und was kostet es?

OWNER:
Fünf Cent pro Minute, also drei Euro die Stunde. Brauchen Sie Hilfe?

HARRY:
Why not?

OWNER:
Suchen Sie etwas Bestimmtes?

HARRY:
Ich suche Informationen über ein Experiment in München.

OWNER:
Sie können in den Online-Ausgaben der Zeitungen suchen. Oder probieren Sie es auf der Webseite der Deutschen Welle.

HARRY:
The website of the Deutsche Welle? Okay.

OWNER:
Aber wenn Sie etwas downloaden, also, ich meine herunterladen, müssen Sie die Datei hinterher löschen, okay?

NARRATOR:
If you download something, you have to delete the file afterwards.

HARRY:
Ja, alles klar! Vielen Dank für Ihre Hilfe.

OWNER:
Keine Ursache, gerne.

HARRY:
Look, here's something about Professor Zweistein, the man in charge of the experiment:
'Professor Zweistein lebte und studierte in Heidelberg.'

NARRATOR:
Zweistein lived and studied in Heidelberg.

HARRY:
'Das Studium beendete er mit den besten Noten.'

NARRATOR:
Simple past tense! This form is often used in written German: er lebte, er studierte, er beendete.

HARRY:
And the other one? The perfect? hat gemacht, hat studiert, hat beendet?

NARRATOR:
People use that mostly when speaking.

HARRY:
Look at this! 'Schon als Kind las Zweistein alle Bücher über schwarze Löcher.'

NARRATOR:
When he was a child, he used to read all about black holes. That's interesting.

HARRY:
Hang on, hang on, there's more, there's more: 'Er schrieb seine Doktorarbeit über das
Experiment.' schrieb, las - not schreibte und leste?

NARRATOR:
Ja.

HARRY:
Oh let me guess, there's also an irregular simple past tense.

NARRATOR:
Correct! To write: schreiben - er schrieb, or to read: lesen - er las. I'm afraid one just has to learn them.

HARRY:
You're just like Julia, she always got on my nerves trying to teach me those stupid forms, write - wrote - written: schreiben - schrieb - hat geschrieben.

NARRATOR:
Wer hat denn den Artikel geschrieben?

HARRY:
The author?

NARRATOR:
Ja.

HARRY:
Is Nick Wessling, Wissenschaftsjournalist. Now, who's that? The name sounds somehow familiar!

NARRATOR:
Yes, of course! Der Mann im Zug!

HARRY:
The man in the train? Are you talking about the engine driver?

NARRATOR:
Oh nein, Julias Freund, Nick! Er war mit Julia im Abteil. Remember? To be in the simple past tense: sein - er war.

HARRY:
It would have to be him! That's all I needed.

NARRATOR:
He's a science journalist, so he might be there this evening. Write him an e-mail, die E-Mail, and ask him if he'll take you.

HARRY:
I'm afraid you're right. Okay. E-mail address: wessling@net.de

NARRATOR:
W - E - S - S - L - I - N - G. wessling@net.de

HARRY:
So! Ich werde Nick treffen…

NARRATOR:
Harry?

HARRY:
… heute Abend in München.

NARRATOR:
Harry?

HARRY:
So that's settled then!

NARRATOR:
Du hast die E-Mail jetzt geschickt? But Nick Wessling is currently sitting in a train with Julia, traveling to Hamburg.

HARRY:
Oh! Then I'd better talk to him on the train tomorrow.

Life stories